Growing your podcast

We have a secret: everything you want to know about growing your audience comes down to one thing - how you market your podcast to listeners. That’s a combination of a few fundamental understandings: knowing who your podcast is for, what your audience needs to know that will compel them to listen, and where and how you can get your show to them. Yes, this takes some strategy and some investment, of both time and money. Don’t worry, we’re going to break it down so you—yes you!—can become a podcast marketing pro.

A vital part of digital marketing is this trifecta: owned, earned, and paid media. Together, they’re the tripod that bolsters your show to stand on its own and grow.

What are the differences between these three approaches, and how do you begin to plan for them?

Owned media

Owned media is anything you have control over, which includes any and everything in your podcast’s RSS feed (including the audio, show notes, and other metadata), your website, your social media accounts, your email list, and any creative campaigns you might create yourself. Flyers at a coffee shop or the library around town? Getting up at a Q&A at an event where you lead off your question by stating your name and affiliation? Those are all marketing opportunities within your grasp.

Earned media

Earned media is any kind of marketing someone does on your behalf because they’re into what you’re doing, and it comes from doing what you’re doing well, and in a way that it resonates with people enough that they have to share it. This includes your loyal fans, your guests, and the press voluntarily sharing your show.